In a message on Sunday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei praised the Iranian nation for turning out en masse for nationwide February 11 rallies marking the anniversary of the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran.
“You showed off to the enemies, in practice, the living and dynamic nature of the Revolution, and through your chants and fervid participation shouted out loud your commitment to the ideals of the late Imam [Khomeini],” said the Leader in the message following the mass rallies.
The Leader underlined in his message that the demonstrations were a “crushing response” to enemies and hailed the Iranian nation’s determination.
He also urged the country’s authorities not to take the nation’s resolution and support for granted.
“The country’s officials must appreciate this unique phenomenon and serve the dear nation and defend the goals of the Revolution with full perseverance, a revolutionary spirit and diligence,” Ayatollah Khamenei underscored.
The Leader had asked the nation a few days ago to turn out in their millions for the February 11 rallies.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s message was issued in the wake of huge rallies across Iran on Sunday, February 11, in which Iranians once again displayed their loyalty to the Islamic Revolution and the ideals of the late Imam Khomeini.
Millions of Iranians took to the streets for the event, creating yet another epic on the anniversary of the triumph of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
In a statement on Sunday, Qassemi offered sympathy to the Russian nation and government, and the bereaved families of the victims.
The Russian airliner crashed earlier on Sunday after leaving Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, killing all 65 passengers and six crew on board.
The Saratov Airlines jet vanished minutes after take-off and crashed near the village of Argunovo, about 80km (50 miles) south-east of Moscow.
The cause of crash is unclear. Investigators and emergency crews are working at the snow-covered site.
Eyewitnesses told Russian media that the jet was on fire as it plummeted.
Investigators said the causes they were considering included weather conditions, human error and technical failure – but they did not mention the possibility of terrorism.
The Antonov An-148 was en route to the city of Orsk in the Ural Mountains.
Pieces of wreckage and bodies were found spread over a large area. One of the flight recorders has been recovered, officials say.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and announced an inquiry into the cause of the crash.
Photo of the ceremony held in Warsaw, Poland, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
In February 1979, the Islamic Revolution led by the late Imam Khomeini toppled the US-backed Pahlavi monarchy and set the stage for the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iranian people annually celebrate the anniversary of the victory in massive demonstrations in which anti-arrogance slogans are usually chanted.
Photo of the ceremony held in Warsaw, Poland, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from IRIB News Agency
The anniversary is also celebrated by Iranian missions and embassies across the world in ceremonies that are usually attended by high-ranking officials and diplomats residing in those countries.
According to a Farsi report by the IRIB News Agency, several foreign ambassadors, military attaches, diplomats, and representatives of international organizations attended a ceremony held in the Polish capital Warsaw to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
During the ceremony, Iranian Ambassador to Poland Ramin Mehmanparast described the Islamic Revolution of Iran as one of the most important developments of the 20th century, and highlighted its influence on popular and regional movements.
He also pointed to the 500-year-old history of ties between Tehran and Warsaw, and noted that the expansion of bilateral relations with Poland is high on the agenda of the Iranian administration.
The anniversary was also commemorated in a ceremony in Brasília, where several Brazilian officials, ambassadors and diplomats residing in the country were in attendance.
Photo of the ceremony held in the Kazakh capital of Astana to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from IRIB News Agency
The Kazakh capital of Astana hosted a ceremony attended by the Central Asian state’s deputy minister of development and investment, and a number of military officials, lawmakers, academics, economic and social activists, diplomats and military attaches, and a group of Iranian expatriates living in Astana.
During the ceremony, Iranian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Mojtaba Damirchiloo described the 1979 Revolution as a movement aimed at rejecting domestic tyranny and foreign hegemony, and realizing freedom, justice, and independence.
He referred to the increased presence of women in different social fields as well as the country’s move towards democracy as the major achievements of the Islamic Revolution, saying, “Following the Revolution, the Iranian people started to make decision about the political fate of their country by choosing their representatives in local councils, the Parliament, the President, and the Assembly of Experts, which elects the country’s Leader.”
Damirchiloo also pointed to 26 years of relations between Iran and Kazakhstan, and hailed the growing trend of Tehran-Astana economic and political ties. The Kazakh deputy minister, for his part, congratulated Iran on its national day, and lauded the positive prospect of mutual cooperation between the two states.
Photo of the ceremony held in Dushanbe,Tajikistan to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from Fars News Agency
A similar ceremony was also held in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe. During the ceremony, Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister Sirodjidin Aslov congratulated Iran on the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution’s victory, and highlighted the special position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in his country’s foreign policy agenda.
Referring to various untapped capacities for expansion of mutual cooperation between Tehran and Dushanbe, he called on the officials of both countries to pay more attention to such potentialities.
“We must maintain the achievements gained within over two decades of relations in political, economic, business, scientific, and cultural fields,” Aslov noted, according to a report by Fars News Agency.
Also in the future, he added, we should promote our ties based on the principle of mutual respect, trust, non-interference in the internal affairs of the other country, friendship, and preserving the joint historical and cultural values in line with the interests of the two countries, which share Persian language and culture.
Photo of the ceremony held in Mumbai, India, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from IRIB News Agency
Indian people in the cities of Mumbai and Kargil in India’s Kashmir also celebrated the anniversary. The people of Kargil, the northernmost city of India, poured into the streets and chanted revolutionary slogans like Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic, and Labbayk Ya Khamenei in support of the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
The people of Kargil are fond of the Islamic Iran and its 1979 Revolution, and annually hold glorious ceremonies and light up their streets to celebrate the anniversary of Iran’s Revolution.
Photo of the ceremony held in Georgia to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from IRIB News Agency
Another major ceremony to mark the anniversary was the one held in Georgia. The ceremony was attended by Mikheil Janelidze, the vice-PM and foreign minister of Georgia, who lauded the growing relations between Tehran and Tbilisi, particularly in the fields of tourism and trade.
Also in attendance were the Georgian deputy minister of finance, deputy minister of economy, a number of Georgian lawmakers including the head of Iran-Georgia parliamentary friendship group, European ambassadors, and a group of Shiites living in the country.
Addressing the ceremony, Qavam Shahidi, the Iranian ambassador to Georgia, praised the Islamic Republic’s role in fight against terrorism and the uprooting of the inauspicious phenomenon, and called for further expansion of Tehran-Tbilisi cooperation in various fields.
He also referred to a 38-percent growth in the volume of Iran-Georgia trade ties during the past year, and highlighted the key role played by the two countries in the North-South corridor, linking the Black Sea to the Persian Gulf.
Photo of the ceremony held in Serbia to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from IRIB News Agency
Ceremonies were also held in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, and Pakistan (one in Quetta and another one in Islamabad), among others.
A ceremony was also organized by a group of Iranian people residing in Washington DC in a mosque near the US capital, and was attended by elites, American Muslims, journalists, and Iranian expatriates.
Here are IRIB’s photos of the ceremonies held across the world:
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Photo of the ceremony held in Tirana, Albania, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Tirana, Albania, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Serbia to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Serbia to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Serbia to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in the Kazakh capital of Astana to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in the Kazakh capital of Astana to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in the Kazakh capital of Astana to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Warsaw, Poland, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Warsaw, Poland, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Warsaw, Poland, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Warsaw, Poland, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Quetta, Pakistan, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Quetta, Pakistan, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Dushanbe,Tajikistan to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from Fars News Agency
Photo of the ceremony held in Dushanbe,Tajikistan to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from Fars News Agency
Photo of the ceremony held in Dushanbe,Tajikistan to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from Fars News Agency
Photo of the ceremony held in Dushanbe,Tajikistan to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution / Retrieved from Fars News Agency
Photo of the ceremony held in Georgia to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Georgia to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Mumbai, India, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Mumbai, India, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
Photo of the ceremony held in Mumbai, India, to mark the 39th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution
In a statement at the conclusion of celebratory demonstrations in capital Tehran and other cities on Sunday, ralliers reaffirmed commitment to countering the hostile plots, saying the Iranian nation sees the US as its “enemy number one.”
Denouncing the US for breaching the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and certain European officials for following the hostile American policies, the statement called on the Iranian officials to take decisive stances in protecting the rights of Iranian people and countering plots, such as sanctions and acts of sabotage.
Demonstrators also renewed allegiance to the Islamic Republic and the religious leadership, voicing support for the country’s progress in scientific and military areas, including the missile and defense industries.
People in more than 1,000 cities and towns as well as 4,000 villages attended the Sunday rallies with flags of Iran and banners in support of the Islamic Republic to mark the revolution’s 39th victory anniversary, known as Bahman 22nd in Iran.
In capital Tehran, demonstrators marched across different routes to reach the Azadi (Liberty) Square, where President Hassan gave an address.
This year, rally organizers in Tehran have put on display the country’s latest achievements in the scientific and military spheres, including long-range ballistic missiles.
The crowd of demonstrators in the rallies paid tribute to the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, under whose leadership the revolutionary movements triumphed over the despotic regime of Pahlavi on February 11, 1979.
Imam Khomeini had lived many years in exile, in Iraq and France, before returning home and leading a historical revolution that overthrew Pahlavi regime.
The 10-day period from the return of Imam Khomeini until the revolution’s victory is celebrated annually in Iran, and is known as the Ten-Day Fajr (Dawn).
“These people were gathering classified information on strategic fields under the coverage of scientific and environmental projects,” Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi told reporters on Saturday.
Separately on Sunday, Hossein Taeb, the head of the intelligence unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), warned that the enemy is sponsoring new groups to spark insecurity in the region.
The Islamic Republic’s “dominance over Daesh and other regional and extra-regional terrorist groups has led the enemy to consider creating new outfits to cause insecurity,” he said on the sidelines of the nationwide rally to mark the 39th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Taeb also noted that in recent riots in some Iranian cities, “notorious groups led by the Iranian nation’s main enemies took advantage of people’s rightful economic demands and tried to manipulate them through creating insecurity.”
“Of course, their measures will not go unanswered and they will be slapped in the face at the right time,” he told Tasnim news agency.
In late December 2017, people in several Iranian cities held peaceful gatherings to criticize the country’s economic issues. Those rallies were, however, marred by scattered riots, which saw vandals and armed elements launch attacks on public property, mosques and police stations.
Upon the outbreak of violence, the original protesters responded to calls by authorities and left the streets, paving the way for law enforcement forces, backed by locals, to intervene.
Iranian people also held mass rallies to express their faith in the Islamic establishment and condemn the chaos as efforts were underway by security officials to end the riots.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said a “triangle” of enemies — with the United States and Israel comprising one of its sides, a rich Persian Gulf littoral state on its second side and the anti-Iran Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) terror organization on the third side — had been plotting for the past few months to foment chaos and violence in Iran.
The Iranian people, however, distanced themselves from rioters after finding out their motives, Ayatollah Khamenei added.
The Saratov Airlines flight, from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport to the city of Orsk on the Kazakhstan border, was carrying 65 passengers and six crew members, Russian news agencies said.
None of the people aboard the Antonov An-148 jet were believed to have survived, the Interfax news agency quoted an emergency-service source as saying.
Authorities spotted the plane’s wreckage in a field outside Moscow, the RIA Novosti news agency said. Witnesses reported seeing a falling airplane in flames, Interfax said.
Iran deservingly claimed the title on Sunday after edging past Japan 4-0 in New Taipei City, the Chinese Taipei.
Two goals by Ali-Asghar Hassanzadeh and two others by Farhad Tavakoli and Hossein Tayyebi helped the Team Melli secure its 12th Asian title, adding another star to its already stellar national futsal record.
In the play-off match on Sunday, Uzbekistan managed to beat Iraq on penalties after a 4-4 draw, and claimed the third title at the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship, whose 15th edition opened on February 6.
Iran’s Tayyebi, who scored 14 goals during the tournament, was named the top goal scorer, and Hassanzadeh was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Iran had earlier marched into the final showdown of the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship after it trounced Uzbekistan in a semi-final fixture. On Friday, the Persians defeated the Central Asians 7-1 in a match staged at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.
The AFC Futsal Championship is the premier national futsal competition of the Asian Football Confederation nations. It was first held in 1999 and was played annually until 2008; since then it has been played biennially.
Iran and Japan are the dominant nations being the only two nations to have won the tournament and Iran is the only nation never finishing outside the top four.
Iran, champions of 12 of the 15 editions of the competition, won 7 straight editions before their streak was broken by Japan.
Japan have won the other 3 editions of the competition.
Speaking on the sidelines of the massive rallies in Tehran marking the 39th anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Revolution on Sunday, Secretary of Iran’s National Security Council Ali Shamkhani rejected the Israeli officials’ baseless claim about the flight of an Iranian drone in the Golan Heights.
“It is nonsense because no one uses an F-16 jet to target a drone” he was quoted as saying in a Farsi report by Fars News Agency.
He also dismissed Tel Aviv’s claim that Israeli warplanes have managed to target an Iranian-Syrian base inside Syria. He underlined Iran only has an advisory presence in Syria.
Earlier on Friday, the Syrian military hit at least one Israeli warplane that attacked positions inside Syrian territory, sending it down in flames and smoke.
Syrian state TV cited a Syrian military official as saying that Syrian aerial defence had responded to Israeli “aggression” against an army base in central Syria.
Following the incident, the Israeli army said Tel Aviv held Iran directly responsible for the crash of its jet. “This is a serious Iranian attack on Israeli territory. Iran is dragging the region into an adventure in which it doesn’t know how it will end,” the army said in a statement.
Addressing thousands of demonstrators at mass rallies in Tehran, marking the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Revolution, Rouhani said the Islamic Republic will live up to its commitments under the JCPOA if only the other signatories to the deal deliver on their obligations.
“I’m announcing here, that our nation will remain committed to its obligations as long as the other parties keep their side of the bargain,” said the president.
President Rouhani further said that Washington’s possible withdrawal from the JCPOA will be to its own detriment.
“And I’m stressing again, that if they pull out of the agreement, they will soon suffer the harm from what they’ve done,” the president underlined.
President Rouhani further said the US wanted to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs, but the Iranian nation stood up to them and foiled Washington’s plots by maintaining their unity.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani touched upon the enemies’ conspiracy to disintegrate Iraq and Syria as well as Iran’s role in thwarting their plot.
“Conspirators wanted to shatter Iraq’s unity, but the Iraqi nation’s vigilance coupled with assistance from the regional countries secured the territorial integrity and national unity of our friendly countries in the region,” he said.
He then touched upon the Americans’ plot against Jerusalem al-Quds, Palestine and the nations in the region.
“They wanted to declare Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the capital of Zionists, but the world stood up to this conspiracy, and not only Muslim countries, but all other countries, except a few ones, opposed this US plot at the UN General Assembly,” he said.
President Rouhani also referred to Iran’s cooperation with other Middle Eastern countries to boost peace and stability in the region.
“We know the solution to the [problems facing the] region is a political one, and we should reinforce regional stability and security in cooperation with other countries,” he noted.
The president also touched upon Iran’s gains in fighting terrorists in the region, and said Tehran contributed to efforts to rid Iraqi and Syrian nations of terrorists.
Each year, Iranians take to the streets to mark the historic day, which id a national holiday in Iran. People take part in these rallies renew their allegiance to the Islamic establishment and Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic.
Journalists from two dozen countries are covering rallies in Tehran on Sunday, February 11. Some 125 reporters from 71 regional and international media outlets are providing coverage of the event, in which demonstrators march toward and finally converge on Azadi Square, a Tehran landmark, where Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is scheduled to deliver a speech.
The journalists come from such countries as Austria, Spain, Australia, Afghanistan, the United States, Britain, Germany, Turkey, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Syria, France, Palestine, Qatar, South Korea, Colombia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands and Yemen.
Moreover, more than 150 representatives of foreign media outlets stationed in Iran are covering the event through their Iran bureaus. They are using the news feed from local Iranian media or dispatch their own correspondents to provide coverage.
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Iran’s state radio and TV (known as the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Broadcasting Organization or the IRIB) is providing blanket coverage of the rallies. The event will be beamed across the world via satellite, so that foreign media will be able to relay the broadcasts to their audience.
Similar rallies are being held in other towns and cities across the nation as well.
On 1 February 1979, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran Imam Khomeini (1902-1989) returned to Tehran after a period of exile in France imposed by the despotic Shah of Iran, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi. Several million people went to Tehran International Mehrabad Airport to welcome him. Imam Khomeini then went to Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, where he delivered a historic speech. Imam Khomeini’s return was a catalyst for the Islamic Revolution, which finally emerged victorious ten days after his homecoming on February 11.
